Open AccessViral Nephropathies, Adding SARS-CoV-2 to the List
Author(s) -
Sheena Pramod,
Murad Kheetan,
Iheanyichukwu Ogu,
Ahlim Alsanani,
Zeid Khitan
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of nephrology and renovascular disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.846
H-Index - 27
ISSN - 1178-7058
DOI - 10.2147/ijnrd.s303080
Subject(s) - immune system , pandemic , medicine , immunology , disease , mechanism (biology) , acute kidney injury , kidney , pathogenesis , viral pathogenesis , virus , bioinformatics , biology , covid-19 , virology , viral replication , infectious disease (medical specialty) , pathology , endocrinology , philosophy , epistemology
Viral infections in the immunocompetent host can cause both acute and chronic kidney disease either as a direct damage to the infected kidney cells or as a consequence of systemic immune responses that impact kidney function. Since identifying these entities in the 1970s and 80s, major breakthroughs in the understanding of the viral mechanisms have occurred. Viruses have evolved mechanisms to hijack signaling pathways of infected cells to evade antiviral immune responses by the host. Over time, the clinical presentations and management of these diseases have evolved along with our in-depth understanding of the various pathophysiological mechanisms causing these conditions. Similarly, both at the cellular and systemic levels, the host has evolved mechanisms to counter viral subversion strategies for mutual survival. Since the start of the current COVID-19 pandemic, numerous cases of acute kidney injury have been reported in the literature with various possible pathophysiological mechanisms. In this review, we summarize lessons learned from prior viral pandemics related to viral mechanisms utilized in the pathogenesis of numerous renal manifestations to attempt to utilize this knowledge in predicting post-COVID-19 kidney disease.